Funny how the same word
can have totally different meanings in different contexts. Take “makeover.”
When a woman has one, it means she has subjected herself to a thorough
reexamination of her appearance–everything from hair to shoes–with
nothing less of a goal than recreating herself. But when the term is applied
to a boat, it takes on a wholly different–and distinctly less positive–meaning.
A made-over boat is usually considered something of an orphan, typically
a model whose sales aren’t so bad that it warrants elimination yet
are good enough that it isn’t worth the investment of creating an
entirely new model. In this scenario the builder typically changes some
exterior paint, accents, and interior fabrics, maybe slaps a new model
name on it, and often promotes it as “new.”

Not every builder does
it that way. Take Sea Ray. Last year it looked at its 540 Sundancer, then
a four-year-old boat, and decided that while a popular seller, it needed
major refinements and updating. In typical Sea Ray fashion, the marketing
department didn’t make this decision; it came directly from customers
via the dealer network. They presented the company’s Product Development
and Engineering department with a specific list of improvements that would
be required to keep sales strong. The result, the 550 Sundancer, is admittedly
not a truly new boat (all dimensions are unchanged) but rather a made-over
one that is substantially, though subtly, different from her predecessor.

The principal complaint
with the 540 was that on first entering the saloon, some people thought
it felt too dark and confining, so Sea Ray designers started by installing
a large skylight right in the middle, complete with sunshade. (There is
also a skylight in each head.) To open up things even more, they flip-flopped
the saloon layout: Where the 540’s galley occupied the port side
and a couch was along the starboard side, the 550 is precisely the opposite.
This move also included moving the forward port bulkhead ahead by about
a foot, so now, as you step down the companionway, you’re greeted
not by a bulkhead just a few feet away but by one separated from you by
about seven feet of curvy Ultraleather HP couch. That unit, incidentally,
is longer by about a foot but still electrically converts to a double
berth.

While the sofa is longer,
the galley is about two feet shorter, yet because it’s curved, there’s
actually more counter space. And it’s better in other ways, too.
The previous laminate countertops have been replaced by ones of considerably
more attractive Karadon, and there’s now a large Plexiglas and stainless
steel wine rack beneath the aft end of the counter. Cabinet space is also
increased because instead of using some of it to hold the 20-inch TV,
as in the 540, visual entertainment now comes via a 42-inch Sony plasma
screen unit mounted directly on the outboard wall.